Mr. Bruce McKinney was the Chair/Treasurer of a PAC, Wichita Voters for Truth, that sent out a hit piece in Wichita in Nov 2006 and then never filed a Jan 2007 report with the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission. The Ethics Commission cannot find this guy, but newspapers can find him and then quote him about his political activities?
Bruce McKinney first used a mail box from a store that went out of existence when he didn’t file his Jan 2007 report. Then, apparently McKinney simply refused to accept mail from the Ethics Commission when they tried to find him with a registered letter at another address. The Ethics Commission doesn’t seem to think it’s worth the money to send an investigator to Wichita to ask McKinney about his missing PAC report. But if McKinney can ignore PAC reporting laws like this, why can’t all PACs?
In yesterday’s Wichita Eagle, an article about the gay pride parade talked about and quoted Bruce McKinney:
“For Bruce McKinney, who helped organize the first such parade in 1990, the protest and Holick’s arrest did nothing to dampen the mood of celebration. ‘Everybody I’ve talked to loved the park and loved the event,’ he said. ‘I really feel like it was a phenomenal day.’”
In March 2008 McKinney was found by the Lawrence Journal-World for their article:
Bruce McKinney is one of those who wanted to be interviewed. …
McKinney has been a voice in Wichita’s gay community for 35 years, when he came to the city to study education at Wichita State University. He formed the first gay group at WSU, but then ended up leaving the school empty-handed because of his pride
Why can two Kansas newspapers find and quote a political activist, but the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission can’t find the activist to ask him about a missing PAC report? Why are some people exempt from Kansas Laws?
Related:
- Pastor arrested at gay pride festival, Wichita Eagle, June 30, 2008.
- Attending Wichita Pride Parade or Festival on Sunday? Tell Bruce McKinney his PAC report to the Ethics Commission is late!, Kansas Meadowlark, June 26, 2008.
- KU librarian reaches out to gay Kansans for untold stories, Lawrence Journal-World, March 31, 2008.
Tags: Ethics, ethics violation, failure to file, Political Action Committee (PAC), Wichita Voters for Truth PAC
Your piece leaves out some very important information. Does the Commission have the authority to hunt down someone who does not file. I would bet they don’t. If they do not have that authority, and they did hire a private investigator (as you suggest), I would expect you to be hopping mad about government overstepping its bounds.
The Commission already has an investigator, Bill Beightel, as shown on their web page:
http://www.kansas.gov/ethics/C.....index.html.
The Executive Director of the Ethics Commission chooses not to send him to Wichita to investigate this matter, likely due to the cost.
Lack of enforcement only invites more abuse. Why are some Kansans expected to comply with the ethics regulations, and others are given a free pass?